Summary

Ushikawa goes to the town of Ichikawa, where Tengo and Aomame both lived as children. Under the guise of working for the New Japan Foundation for the Advancement of Scholarship and the Arts, he asks the vice principal if he could speak to the teacher who taught Tengo. He also requests their contact information. Using the information gathered, Ushikawa sees that in some way, both Tengo and Aomame have made attacks on the Sakigake. He also finds similarities in their pasts, from unhappy childhoods to getting away from home on athletic scholarships.

Ushikawa talks to Mrs. Ota, the woman who taught Tengo and Aomame. She remembers Tengo as bright but burdened by his father's strict nature; and she remembers Aomame's depression from her parents' strictness in religious practice. Ushikawa needs more information about them both.